Welcome to myspace page. The internet and this particular site are still amazing to me as I learn how to navigate around various aspects of both. I am almost 43 years old, so it is safe for me to say, my friends and I did not grow up with this ability to MASS COMMUNICATE!!!! I must say it is very cool.
Check out the website to my Bass Shop which is called The BassMint. www.kcbassmint.com. Feel free to call, email or stop by the shop if you are ever in the Kansas City area. All the contact info is on the site.
Moving right along, I am a Bass Player. I have been a Bassist for almost 30 years now. I have defined myself as a Bassist since I started playing at age 14. My entire life has revolved around being a BASSIST. I started out like everyone else, practicing diligently all the time and then landing my first local band in Topeka, Kansas called THE RESPECTABLES at age 16. From there, I played in a band called LICKETY SPLIT and that band saw a lot of road work across the state of Kansas in the early 1980's. More Bands followed such as THE SUSPECTS with good friend and drummer, DANA MYZER, now living in London with a wife and a new baby boy! There was another Band I played with from St. Joe, MO called AREIL. Those were fun times! I also dabbled in Musical Theatre, mostly doing gigs in the pit orchestra at Topeka Civic Theatre.
Eventually, I began to really study music through the encouragement of my dear friend and mentor/killer guitar player, Chip Cipolli. I graduated High School, played on the road for awhile, then was in and out of colleges and Higher Education Institutions from 1983 to 1997! I moved to Los Angeles, CA in the mid-80's, attended and graduated from The Musician Institute-BIT, had some great teachers and unforgetable experiences. Upon graduation, I played in a band called VITAL SIGNS from Sacremento Ca. I went on to attend Kansas University, North Texas State University and finally earning my undergraduate degree in DoubleBass Performance from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas in 1997. Along the way, I mainly studied Jazz. I was honored to be able to learn from Jazz Bassist Milt Hinton through-out the 90's. I had some lessons with the legendary Ray Brown. I have also had the distinct pleasure of studing with jazz greats Todd Coolman, Steve LaSpina and Paul Erhard. I did 4.5 years in the United States Airforce Band Career Field. Played Bass for Uncle Sam from 1998-2002. After that experience, I decided to become Entrepurnurial. In other words, I think I work better when I am working for myself.
My wife, Julie, and I opened Acoustic Soul String Shop in 2002 in Wamego, Kansas. We kept it going for over 4 years and decided it was time for a bigger market. Summer of 2006 we packed up and moved to Kansas City and opened THE BASSMINT IN WESTPORT. The 1st and only BASS EXCLUSIVE shop in Kansas City. Currently, I play with a band called The BackPorch Blues Band, I am Bassist for Hire and I run my Bass Shop in KC. Music-wise, I really love music from the 1970's. I grew up listening to that and music of the 1980's, but only the COOL stuff! Of course, I always love a challenging gig to play on. My heros are James Taylor and Joe Cocker. I would love to play bass for either of these guys! Life is good and I am blessed to be where I am.
